Factors associated with cooperative network connectedness in a professional Australian football small-sided game.

Objectives: Connectedness is a cooperative network measure that describes how well players in the team bi-directionally connect and how easily reachable they are to other players. It has been associated with an increased probability of winning competitive matches in professional Australian Football (AF), although applications towards training have not been reported. Therefore, this study investigated associations between constraints manipulated by professional AF coaches and the connectedness of cooperative passing networks during a small-sided game (SSG).

Tactical analysis of individual and team behaviour in professional Australian Football.

Introduction: This study sought to reduce the dimensionality of commonly reported spatiotemporal characteristics obtained from Australian Football games to facilitate their practical use and interpretability.

Methods: A retrospective longitudinal design was utilised with team and individual spatiotemporal variables, measured via global navigation satellite system devices, collected during official Australian Football League matched over three seasons. Two separate principal component analyses were conducted at the team and individual level to reduce correlated spatiotemporal characteristics into a smaller set of uncorrelated components.

A holistic analysis of collective behaviour and team performance in Australian Football via structural equation modelling.

Despite awareness of the importance of quantifying technical, tactical, and physical characteristics of match play, few studies have examined the structural relationship of these aspects in professional sport. Accordingly, this study concurrently examined these components in relation to quarter outcome (n = 272) in Australian Football. The study followed a retrospective longitudinal case study design where one teams' cooperative passing network, skill counts, physical loads, and spatiotemporal behaviours during official Australian Football League games were collected from a period spanning four seasons (2016-2019).

The confounding effect of biological maturity on talent identification and selection within youth Australian football.

This study measured the influence of biological maturity across numerous performance parameters for talent identification in Australian football. Anthropometry, estimated maturity status using a maturity ratio from anthropometric measurements and chronological age, motor competence, physical fitness and small-sided match involvements of 227 U13-U15 high-level academy athletes were assessed. Multivariate analysis of variance revealed significant moderate effects of maturity status on physical fitness (p = 0.

Match simulation practice may not represent competitive match play in professional Australian football.

Match simulation in team sport should sample representative constraints and behaviours to those observed in competitive matches to enhance near skill transfer. This study compared task constraints (field length, field width, length per width ratio, space per player), time-standardised skill metrics (goals, shots on goal, handballs, kicks, marks, turnovers, tackles, handball proficiency, kick proficiency) and cooperative passing metrics (connectedness, indegree variability and outdegree variability) between match simulation practice and competitive Australian Football League (AFL) games for one professional team. MANOVAs identified activity-related differences for task constraints, skill metrics and cooperative passing networks.

An assessment of physical and spatiotemporal behaviour during different phases of match play in professional Australian football.

Despite advancements in the scale of data available for quantifying the physical and spatiotemporal characteristics of match play, there is an absence of research combining these aspects in professional sport. This study sought to differentiate between phases of play in professional Australian football using novel physical and spatiotemporal metrics. Data was obtained from Australian Football League games to provide new insight into the specific characteristics of each phase of play.

Improving the interpretation of skill indicators in professional Australian Football.

Objectives: This study aimed to provide a simplified, novel method for analysing technical skill involvements in an Australian Football context by reducing the dimensionality of commonly reported skill counts obtained from Australian Football League (AFL) games. This may facilitate their practical use and interpretability.

Design: Retrospective longitudinal design where individual players' technical skill counts were collected over three seasons of official AFL games.

Using cooperative networks to analyse behaviour in professional Australian Football.

Objectives: Reducing the dimensionality of commonly reported complex network characteristics obtained from Australian Football League (AFL) games to facilitate their practical use and interpretability.

Design: Retrospective longitudinal design where individual players' interactions, determined through the distribution and receipt of kicks and handballs, during official AFL games were collected over three seasons.

Methods: A principal component analysis was used to reduce the number of characteristics related to the cooperative network analysis.

From entry to elite: The relative age effect in the Australian football talent pathway.

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the first instance and prevalence of the Relative Age Effect (RAE) in the male Australian Football (AF) talent development pathway through to the Australian Football League (AFL).

Design: Retrospective cross-sectional analysis.

Methods: Birthdate distribution was accessed from an U10-U12 AF academy trial (n=514), U13-U19 AF academy players (n=408), AFL state, national and international combines (n=2989), AFL Rising Star nominees (n=50) and the top ten AFL Brownlow vote recipients (n=50) between 2013-2017.

A multidimensional approach to talent identification and selection in high-level youth Australian Football players.

There is limited research in talent identification in youth Australian Football (AF), especially the factors that underpin selection into higher-level development programs. Therefore, this study explored age-related differences in high-level youth AF players and investigated characteristics influencing selection into a high-level development program. Anthropometry (stature, sitting height, body mass), maturity (estimated age at peak height velocity), motor competence (Körperkoordinationstest für Kinder), fitness (change of direction speed, lower body power and upper body muscular endurance) and coach skill ratings (kicking, marking and handballing) of 277 state academy players (U13-U15) were assessed.